ASIC

ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) supervises financial institutions in Australia under Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) — Chapter 7 (Financial Services and Markets) and ASIC Act 2001 & ASIC Regulatory Guide 166 (AFS Licensing: Financial Requirements). Key statutory authorisation classes include: AFSL — Retail OTC Derivatives Issuer (Market Maker) (Australian Financial Services Licence — Making a Market in Derivatives & FX Contracts — min. capital: Greater of AUD $1,000,000 Net Tangible Assets (NTA) or 10% of average annual revenue (RG 166.93), with at least 50% held in cash/cash equivalents and 100% in liquid assets.); AFSL — Responsible Entity (RE) / Custodian (AFSL for Operating Registered Managed Investment Schemes & Custody — min. capital: AUD $10,000,000 minimum Net Tangible Assets (NTA) for Custodians / REs performing self-custody (or up to AUD $5M if using an eligible third-party custodian).); AFSL — Wholesale / Securities Dealer & Adviser (AFSL for Dealing & Advising in Securities and Exchange-Traded Derivatives — min. capital: Base solvency + positive net assets + 3-month cash flow buffer (or AUD $10,000,000 core capital if an ASX/Cboe Clearing Participant).). Ongoing prudential supervision requires strict adherence to capital adequacy and liquidity buffers.

Under ASIC's framework, investor protection is governed by Financial Claims Scheme (FCS — APRA ADIs) & Compensation Scheme of Last Resort (CSLR) with maximum coverage of AUD $250,000 per account holder per APRA-authorised bank (FCS); up to AUD $150,000 for unpaid AFCA determinations covered by the CSLR (personal advice, credit, securities brokerage) (Retail clients as defined under Corporations Act s761G (net assets < AUD $2.5M or gross income < AUD $250k/yr). Note: OTC derivative issuer insolvency is protected primarily by 100% s981B client money trust segregation.). For client money and custody assets, supervised firms must comply with Corporations Act 2001 Part 7.8 Division 2 & ASIC Client Money Reporting Rules 2017, performing mandatory daily and monthly reconciliation of reportable client money within 1 business day; strict ban on using retail derivative client money for broker hedging or working capital. with client money must be held in an australian adi statutory trust account (or approved foreign bank); annual directors’ declaration and external audit report to asic..

ASIC's digital-asset regime is structured around AUSTRAC Digital Currency Exchange (DCE) Registration + ASIC INFO 225 Financial Product & Crypto-ETP Licensing (AUSTRAC AML/CTF registration mandatory for fiat-to-crypto exchanges; ASIC regulates crypto derivatives, tokenized funds, and Spot Bitcoin/Ether ETFs on ASX/Cboe under AFSL.). Custody and AML/CFT compliance obligations require: AUSTRAC AML/CTF Rules enforce payer/payee Travel Rule data; ASIC RG 133 requires AUD $10,000,000 minimum Net Tangible Assets (NTA) for primary asset custodians.

Our database currently tracks 136 licence records referencing ASIC (115 marked regulated or registered). To verify a counterparty at the primary source, open ASIC's official public register (https://asic.gov.au/), search by the exact reference number and legal entity name, and confirm that the firm's domain and permitted activities match its statutory authorisation.